Amsterdam soccer club Ajax are playing Barcelona in the Arena stadium next to the Ziggo Dome tonight. Some metros are packed and we enter the venue later than planned. We are able to catch only a couple of songs by support act Band of Skulls. Judging from these songs and the big round of applause they receive, they did a good job at warming us up. Although it's not a sold out house, the big hall is filled up for the largest part.

When Queens of the Stone Age take the stage they don't waste any time. The set opens explosively with 'You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire' and big hit 'No One knows' both from their most successful Songs For The Deaf. Everyone is alert right from the start. From there on hits and new songs alternate. Since the latest album ...Like Clockwork has been out for a while, everyone has heard it by now. Songs like 'Smooth Sailing' and 'If I Had A Tail' fit right in with the older songs.

The album made clear the band have changed and are more than just a rock machine that is solely running on testosterone. 'Kalopsia', 'Fairweather Friends' and '...Like Clockwork' show a different side of the band and sound just as convincing as the up tempo songs. They also show how much Josh Homme's vocals have improved. His voice is clear and strong, even on higher notes. The new slower songs are more or less together in the middle of the set. This is a bit risky and breaks the high tempo. Not everyone is able to keep their attention during these slower songs. However the fans that can appreciate these songs get treated to honest and sincere versions of them.

Of course this show is different from the small club show in Tivoli a few weeks back. The group was there to have a fun night with a small bunch of fans. Tonight it's serious business. Now the band has to please almost 15.000 people and they don't take that task lightly. Josh Homme is less chatty tonight and only addresses us just a few times. It's not easy to make close contact in a big venue where the distance to your fans is huge. So the band is letting the music speak for itself. One of their most popular songs 'Go With The Flow' ends the regular set. It's definitely an interesting set list, not one that is going for the easy road.

For the encore Homme sits down behind the piano for 'The Vampyre of Time and Memory' and one last quiet moment. After that a bomb drops when they are playing 'Feel Good Hit Of The Summer' and 'First It Giveth' in a row. Pits are forming, beer is flying. The venue explodes for one last time during a ferocious and wonderfully stretched 'A Song For The Dead'. Queens of the Stone Age are now playing in the big leagues of bands, that are able to fill large venues. Tonight they proved they belong there.